obin my houkounin Chapter XXVII: Robin gets a new Toy
I do not own Teen Titans
To: Everyone. The whole thing with the last chap was a bit rocky huh? Sorry, I rushed it and it showed. lemme explain, i explained it in the last chap, but ill explain it in a shorter version for this one
The doctor that messed with Robin was sick, he had done similar things to pretty much everyone. Exploiting theyre worst fears, not always sexual things, just imagine what each individual super hero might fear most. Robin was getting his test, the test to make sure he was fit for command. It was a virtual reality world where they could test his skills, and try to see if he would take bribes and stuff. The doctor controlled this VR from that booth, and could make stuff happen. He could also make them forget what happens. So in short, he screwed with Robin (and other hero's) for his fun. Robin kept waking up somehow, and thats what made Raven see what was going on in his mind. After this his nightmares were just nightmares, continuations of what had been happening.
Robix walked the streets of Jump city, alone. In her hands was a bag containing the Red-X suit and a change of clothes, but other than that she only had a little money. Her home was destroyed, her father was alive somehow, and he had robbed her of her only friend. Mime Bender, the young boy with a heart too kind for his line of work had perished at the hands of Shiva. That was not all, the rest of her team had died as well. She couldnt understand how her father did it, but now she was back in a situation similar to the one she was born into. She was homeless, friendless, and confused. She stopped walking when the sun went down and opened the wal mart bag that now contained the only things she owned. The mask of Red-X peered up at her.
"Even with you I couldnt succeed, even with a part of him on my side he beat me somehow." She whispered to herself. As much power as the suit gave her it wasnt enough to beat him, it was obvious to her now that no frontal assault could put him down. Fleeting images of the nude goth telling him she loved him raced through her mind. She blushed heavilly, and was glad the street was empty. She nearly slapped herself to remind her that as much as she may feel love towards this 'Raven' it was only feelings she was born with. The sorceress did not love her, she loved him but the memories gave her some comfort. She thought about going after Raven, but wasnt sure if she could bring herself to do it. Those inherrited feelings and memories were strong, despite the late Brother Bloods tamperings with her mind. They were so strong in her that she still felt the urge to go to the tower, find the goth alone and just pleade with her to say she loved her, but that could never be. Those were her fathers feelings, and as hard as it was she had to keep them seperate from her own.
An icy wind blew down the abandoned street, and she shivered. She continued walking, looking for a place to stay the night. The question still nagged at her mind: What had her father done? What was that? What had happened was beyong her comprehension and it was frustrating to not know. He had been dead, she had seen his skin smoldering, ready to slide off the bone! "Blue eyes." She whispered to herself. The haunting dead blue eyes. She had only ever seen them once, in death. When she tried to think of her father not as Robin but as Tim Drake those damned dead eyes came into her mind again. Around them the flesh had been scorched and blistered, but those electric blue eyes still looked alive even in death.
Robix prided herself on her senses, but she had been focusing so hard on the mask in her bag she never heard the elderly homeless lady creeping up behind her. "'Scuse me young lady, may I have some money, or food?" Robix spun around, startled. She looked the homeless lady over. She looked like she hadnt bathed in weeks, or longer. Her outstretched hand was covered in knit gloves with the fingers of them cut off, and her other hand was holding a couple of raggedy old coats closed around her to protect her from the wind. Robix chuckled, and shook her head a little.
"Yeah, sure, might as well do one good deed in my life huh?" She felt around in her pockets and pulled out a hundred dollar bill. She handed it to the old woman and she looked at it like she couldnt believe it. Robix turned and walked away.
"Bless you!" Came the bag ladys voice from behind her. Robix stopped, and chuckled again.
"Lady." She said, looking over her shoulder. "I'm anything but blessed." She sighed as the old woman ran, or rather hobbled to catch up with her. She thought she was going to ask for more money, but instead was surprised when the old womans cloudy eyes met her own, and for a breath moment shone with the same light they might have posessed in her youth, before the years had been unkind to her.
"Now, thats not true!" The old woman coughed, as if posessing such intensity even for a short while tired her. "No matter how far you get from the light, theres always a way back child. You just have to find it."
Alright, she's not a greedy begger, she's an annoying religious nut Robix thought to herself. "Yeah, whatever." Robix turned around to leave again, and this time the lady let her go. Robix walked to the shore of the harbor and looked out at the tower.
In the tower things were not right. Cyborg, Jinx, and Beast Boy were the only ones unaware of Robins ordeal, and could see that something troubled the others. It didnt feel natural for half of the inhabitants to seem so down, and the three were constantly doing things to try and cheer up the others. Cheering people up was no exact science, and for Cyborg and Beast Boy the only thing they could think of to help out was to talk louder, faster, and act more energetic than the others. What could you expect from two teenage guys who fought, and usually hit stuff for a living? With a job like that, your work habbits can easilly snake theire way into your personal life. You find yourself going after a problem like someone feeling depressed with the same thing you use to stop a bank robber, in two words: brute force.
Starfire sat at the table, poking idly at some well burned earth food. To the others, for her to seem depressed was so out of the ordinary that they couldnt help but swarm around her and try and provoke her normal, happy kind of reactions out of her.
"Hey Star!" Cyborg said, creeping up behind her. "You wanna play a riveting game of... BOGGLE?" Cyborg said this loud, and fast, holding out the game of scrabble. Starfire was the undisputed champion of it, because she spoke several languages and no matter how well anyone shook the letters around she could always make a word out of every cube, from every angle. Starfire pushed away Cyborg, and the scrabble box and sighed. Beast Boy came up on her left, holding up another board game.
"I know what you wanna do!" He said loud enough to make Starfire grind her teeth. He produced from behind him the game 'Candy Land' A few of the cards were missing because Starfire had once been confused and thought they were supposed to taste like the color of the candy they represented. When she learned they did not taste how they looked the game remained one of her favorites because she was a sucker for such bright colorfull things, and kindergarten style game art. "Come on Star. I'll let you wiiiin." He teased. To Starfire even a free victory at the game was fun.
"No."
"Auh come on Star, what about-"
"No." She said again, more firmly and Beast Boy shrank away into the backround, not willing to disturb her anymore. Another brilliant idea struck his mind, and he quickly turned himself into a kitten and jumped up on the table in front of her plate of food.
"No cats on the table." Said Jinx from the couch. Beast Boy hissed at her and Jinx jumped over to him and swatted him down off the furniture. She laughed at him when he tried to 'rehumanize' in mid air and landed on his face. "Shoulda just stayed a cat." She snickered. "They land on theyre feet."
"Hey!" Beast Boy stood up and went toe to toe with Jinx and got in her face. "Whats your problem? I'm just trying to cheer her up."
"Your just bugging her."
"Oh boy. Here it comes." Cyborg had said this every time for the last few weeks when the two fought. He knew better than Beast Boy, he knew to leave Jinx alone. But, unfortunately his green friend was an idiot, and Cyborg knew one of these days he'd take a low blow and hit Jinx where he shouldnt. He knew there would be a big fight between them, and things would get even uglier than they were now with the pink witch.
"Idiot."
"Numb-nuts."
"Guys come on." Cyborg tried to get in between them and break it up. They continued to bicker around him so he shrugged it off and left the room. Cyborg himself didnt mind Jinx's presence, he even liked her in some ways. The plain and simple fact was that she wasnt all that bad, she had helped them out more than once and saved theyre asses. She had even saved countless lives when the android attack had come. He just couldnt understand why Beast Boy couldnt see that, and just leave her be when she did something.
"Man them guys are just idiots." He said to himself on the walk to his room. Jinx was a nasty person to alot of people, Cyborg knew this, but he also knew why. She liked pushing buttons on people, if she couldnt push your buttons, she'd leave you alone. Beast Boy was an overly defensive nitwit, and Cyborg imagined that to Jinx he must look like a giant red button with 'PUSH ME' written all over him. It was just so simple to him, if you didnt let her get to you she would leave you alone, and even be friendly sometimes. Starfire, Starfire was a perfect example he thought. Starfire and Jinx got along so well. It was Starfire who first brought Jinx back, and he supposed maybe Jinx felt she owed the alien for saving her life, but beyond that the two made a great pair. There was just something about the two that he couldnt put his finger on, but he thought it was a great example of how they could get along.
"DOG BOY!"
"SAYS THE BITCH!"
"FUCK YOU!"
"FUCK YOU BACK!"
Starfire stood up, ready to reprimand the two for arguing. She slammed her fists down on the table and sighed. She had just planted her right hand in her once-baked-but-now-well-mashed potato. She sighed, and shook off the feeling of anger. Without saying a word she turned and left the room, leaving her lover and friend to argue.
Jinx and Beast Boy let go of each others collars and watched her go. As soon as she was gone they turned back to each other, even angrier. "See what you did now!" They both yelled. Beast Boy growled and backed off, he closed his eyes and held his fists out in front of him. "Damnit! Can't you see everyones down because of you! Its you makin everyone miserable, your not even a titan, you dont belong here."
Jinx clenched her teeth. Beast Boy was now treading on extremely thin ice with her, and if he kept going she didnt know what she would do, but now he had her on the deffensive and she couldnt think of anything to say. He was hitting her where it hurt, and she couldnt get her arms up to fight back. "Just shut up." She turned to go and it was a mistake. Beast Boy, just like all animals, and humans, could sense a weakness when he saw one, and he most certainly saw one now. He knew he hit a nerve in her somewhere, and he was determined to exploit it.
"Thats right, you dont belong here. You dont belong anywhere, not with us, not with the hive! Even your own team didnt want you." His cruel grin spread wider when Jinx noticably flinched. Bingo, he had found that soft spot he needed to take her down a peg.
"Just shut up if you know whats good for you!" Jinx growled at him.
"No! Your own team left you for dead. Even they didnt like you enough to save your sorry ass, that says something about you. Starfire should have just left you to rot on the cave floor!"
Jinx yelled and slammed Beast Boy against the wall. "Don't you EVER mention that night to me again!" She pulled him from the wall and slammed him against it again, harder this time. "Got it?"
Beast Boy slapped her arms away and pushed her back so he would have some room to move. "No. I dont got it. I think you should have died on that cave floor! You werent worth saving to your scum bag friends, you werent worth saving to us either."
Blackfire entered the room and instantly noticed something amiss with the fight. She herself had not had a good fight with 'the pink one' in a few days, and opted to sit back and watch. Something wasnt right though, Jinx was on the defensive and it seemed like she was close to losing it. That never happened, she was always the winner in the fights between the two.
"Leave me alone." Jinx said. There, it was done. She had given up, and retreated. She turned to leave and closed her eyes to fight back a few errant tears. All she wanted now was to get away, but he wouldnt let her. She started to hurt even worse when he jumped in front of her, blocking the door. She noticed Blackfire sitting by the TV and regretted that she had also given away what could hurt her most to her lovers sister.
"I'm not done with you. Why don't you go find whatever ditch the Hive threw your cronies in after killing them, and sit back and wait to die. Your not wanted here Jinx, so just leave. Slade should have finished you off himself, and saved us all alot of trouble." Beast Boy stood back, happy with his victory and let her leave. When he turned around he noticed Blackfire, and went to sit down by her. She wouldnt look him in the eye for some reason.
"Hey, whats wrong? I just won! Come on." He tried to put an arm over Blackfires shoulder, but it was quickly slapped away. "Hey come on whats wrong?"
"Dont touch me." Blackfire didnt like admitting even to herself that she liked a human, much less this one, but her short time on earth had changed her. She had seen qualities in him she liked, but what she had just seen in him was not the Beast Boy she had begun to fall for. She gave him a serious look and mentally slapped herself for defending Jinx. "You know what you did just now?"
"Uh... I won?"
"No. Youve been telling me what it was like for you, all the bullies, beatings, and mis treatment you got growing up. Remember?"
What the hell? He thought. What was all this about, it wasnt something he liked to talk about. "Yeah, so?" His voice was a little shaky, due to his confusion as to why Blackfire was bringing this up.
"Everyone was so mean to you, they liked it. They enjoyed hurting you, it made them feel so good and they just couldnt stop could they?"
"Whats this got to do with anything?"
"It just reminded me of the way you hurt her just now, I dont like her either. Hell we hate each other more than you do, but you just acted like one of those animals that used to beat on you. Theres just some things you never say to someone." With that Blackfire got up and left, leaving Beast Boy with his thoughts. He knew she was right, and the instant she said it all the air leaked out of his victory balloon.
Jinx stormed through the hallways, stomping heavily and making a good deal of noise considering her weight. Her teeth were grinding, and her lips were parted so her teeth showed. The areas around her eyes were red, and with the anger radiating off of her she was quite frightening. Half of her wanted to go back to where Beast Boy was, and the other half wanted to leave the tower for good, but Starfire was here. She couldnt leave her, and stuffing Beast Boys own legs down his throat up to the knees wouldnt make her any friends either.
Jinx was startled when she passed a deep dark alcove in the hall and someone reached out and pulled her in. A hand clamped over her mouth and she was forced someone else. She smiled against the hand, it was Starfire's way of surprising her. Starfires hands moved to trap Jinx's arms against her, and she allowed her cape to close in on them. Starfire had learned to control what her cape did, and it closed around them perfectly, Starfires head behind Jinx's was all anyone who walked past the dark alcove would see.
"You get a kick out of spooking me, dont you?" Jinx asked in a low, relaxed voice. Her proximity to Starfire was already making her feel better, much better. She leaned back against Starfire and enjoyed the feeling of theyre combined body heat as it quickly radiated throughout her cloak.
Starfire nuzzled her face in Jinx's hair and kissed the back of her neck. She removed her lips and rested her head on her collar bone, putting them almost cheek to cheek. "I wish you wouldnt fight with them Jinx." Still holding her she moved her hand over her lovers heart, loving the feeling of its rate rise and fall. Jinx tilted her head back to try and get Starfire to kiss her, but she wasnt finished talking. "I want you to stop fighting, for me, please?" The tone in her voice was sincere and pleading, and Jinx nodded to her.
"I'll try."
"You will be... nice?"
Jinx shuddered. When you really thought about it, what was nice? "Not if you put it that way. I'll be tolerable." Starfire laughed behind her, and Jinx ventured a guess that the vampire would ask her to become a titan next.
"Will you become a-" Starfire was cut off by Jinx.
"No."
"You didnt let me finish, I was going to ask if you would be a-"
"Titan? No." Jinx giggled as Starfire sighed. "Love yah, but I'm not doing the titan thing." Silence fell on them and Jinx let out a content sigh. Her skin flushed when Starfire breathed on her neck. She felt the other girls head tilt, and felt the tip of her nose and lips against her skin right where her neck met her shoulder. Jinx was confused when Starfire sighed again and shuddered, these were not pleasurable sings but the vampire seemed distressed by something. "Whats wrong?"
Starfire barely heard her, she was wondering what Raven was doing to comfort Robin elsewhere. The thought of something similar happening to Jinx was too much for Starfire to bear, it was enough to make her heart hurt. She didnt know how she would ever live with herself if Jinx was hurt, or worse. She held her love closer to her, squeezing a little, almost afraid fate was conspiring to take her at any moment. The thought of Jinx being in Robins shoes was so disturbing, and Starfire could blame only one thing: Robin was the leader of the titans. All titans were potential targets, but the leader especially. She wouldnt want Jinx to be a target, not on her own life. "I wouldnt want you to be a titan Jinx." Jinx noticed the small strain in her voice.
"Whats wrong? Why?"
"I wouldnt want you to get hurt. Even without being a titan Jinx, you still get hurt." Starfire thought back to the incident with the Troika's older brother, and the few moments of heart stopping terror when Marcus kicked her out a window. Starfire didnt love Jinx then, or if she did she didnt know it but she had thought her pink lover dead, and thinking back to it made a tear fall from her eyes.
Raven sat up on the twin bed she and Robin shared. She sat at the head of it, with pillows between her back and the headboard. Robin had been shaken after the incident on the sattelite, but he wasnt too badly off. He had had nightmares before, but never because someone had forced them on him. He was staying quiet, keeping himself in control and working on feeling better. He currently had his head in her lap, dozing slightly. Raven smiled down at him, happy he was recovering from the ordeal. "How are you feeling?" Robin stirred from his sleep and Raven pulled him up higher against her so his head rested on his chest. He didnt make any move to help of stop her from moving him, she loved it when he was a rag doll for her. She unfolded her legs and recurled them on his thighs and put her arms around his shoulders with her chin on the top of his head.
Robin took her right hand and held it over his heart. "I'm alright Raven." He looked at his alarm clock and realized they had been like this for hours. "Your gonna have to let me up, or I'm gonna get bedsores." Raven squeezed him, making it clear she didnt intend to let him go any time soon. Robin sighed. "I feel much better now, its all fading. I cant remember it, its weird."
"Thats good." Suddenly Raven felt something in Robin. It was a rare thing, but somehow she just knew a big shit-eating grin was spreading across his face. She could just feel it in him it was so strong. Somehow she just knew it couldnt be a good thing. "What is it?" She asked.
"Lotsa noise comin out of the garage lately." Robin said.
"Cyborgs rebuilding his car... again. Whats that got to do with anything? Whats got you so happy?"
"Well..." Robin said in the cocky 'I know something you dont know' kind of voice. "Tomorrow you all might find out why I had a two car garage built in the new tower."
"Please tell me your just getting a new motorcycle." Raven said. She groaned. Somehow she just knew what he meant.
"Maybe..." She felt him smile wider, and he chuckled a little, making them both shake on the bed slightly.
"I could just read your mind to find out, so tell me."
Robin sighed. Raven never let him have any fun. "I got a car."
"ACK! With what?" Raven put a hand on her forehead, she could feel a headache coming on.
"Come on! Bruce Wayne is like, my father almost! He gave me an old one of his."
"Robin..."
"It gets here tonight, Cyborgs got some competition."
Raven felt the headache worsening. There was nothing she hated more than the macho 'mines bigger than yours' kind of competition, which could revolve around anything from body parts, to houses, to bank accounts, to cars. "Tim." She sighed. "Your waiting for me to beg you to tell me what it is, arent you?"
Robin blushed slightly. "Yeah..."
Just play into his game, give him this one. Raven thought. "Alright, what is it?"
"Big, very, very big, and with more power than should be legal." Robin took a breath. "You know those old Mustangs? From the late 60's?"
"Yeah. Of course I do."
"Well, Bruce had one customed a few years ago, and had an experimental engine put in it. Lotsa custom work on the body, its about five feet longer and two feet wider than it was out of the factory."
"Experimental? Did it work?"
"Yeah. Its a V-14, ten liters. Doesnt use much gas though, uses about as much as your average familly sedan."
Impossible, Raven thought. "How? I dont believe it."
"As the tires turn kinetic energy converters power air pressure tanks, the faster it goes the more air intake it gets, and the more it blows into the cylinders instead of gas. The faster you go the less gas you need, because with every stroke it blows high pressure air into the cylinder with the gas. With the high pressure air it doesnt need to make as big of an explosion with the gas, and after its been running for a little while it will build energy in the battery backups and you can even idle it a little while without using any gas." Robin had to stop himself, he was getting into all the technical stuff he loved so much, and if he didnt stop he imagined he would begin to foam at the mouth.
Raven raised an eyebrow, trying to find adequate words to explain that she had not understood a word beyond 'As the tires turn'. "Huh?"
"Alright... Again... Tires turn."
"Yeah."
"They power small engines that store air pressure."
"Yeah."
"Car uses air pressure instead of internal combustion after its been running long enough."
"How does it work?"
Robin wanted to pinch the bridge of his nose, but it had been getting too much abuse lately. "I just explained that!"
"Oh." Raven sighed. It really must have been a guy thing. "So, as long as its moving it doesnt use much gas, if any at all?"
"Right, and it can idle for short times and burn only a little."
"But what if your not moving it much? What if you need it to idle for a little while and the batterys are drained?"
"Well, then it burns alot of gas, come on don't give me trouble Raven. Its so cool..." Robin begged and pleaded with her, even though she couldnt stop him. He just wanted her to like the idea of it too. "Even after you average it all out it only uses as much gas as your average mini van."
"Why don't all cars have them nowerdays then? You said Bruce had the tech a few years ago, why not share?"
Robin felt himself begin to sweat nervously, she had just stumbled onto the engines one and only problem. Of everything else this one thing was a good reason for Raven to despise it and try and stop him from using it. "Its a bit powerfull... Even a V-4 model of it is too powerfull for widespread use, and expensive to make." Robin got up off the bed. It was nine oclock, his new toy would be here any minute.
"Robin..." Raven began annoyed. "How much power would a v-4 or whatever have?"
"About..." Robin trailed off and mumbled, hoping Raven wouldnt understand him.
"Tell me or you sleep alone."
"Five hundred horse, for the four cylinder."
Raven didnt want to imagine what this engine must have, but she had to ask. "And what does this one have?"
"Promise not to yell?"
"I promise nothing."
Robin sighed. Either he told her or she read his mind, and he wanted whatever arguments resulted from this to be over with by the time his new toy got here. "I'll tell you this: It governs out at four hundred miles an hour, Bats said if I took out the governor he'd kill me, unless the car did first."
Raven decided to let him have his fun. Cars were not her thing, but Robin seemed to like gadgets with lots of moving parts, so she figured there was no use fighting this, he was after all the leader. She let a smirk play across her face and sighed. "Alright, go have fun. Just be carefull."
"Hey, how did you know it was going to be here soon?"
Raven smiled a little more. "I never said I wouldnt read your mind, did I?"
"Sneak."
"Whatever, go have fun."
In no time at all Robin was outside, watching the horizon for the cargo helicopter that was to deliver his first car. He didnt have to wait long, in just minutes he saw it coming over the Jump City skyline towards the tower. It was moving sluggishly, as if weighed down by something heavy. He began to sweat with anticipation. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears as the chopper set down on the edge of the island and the cargo door opened. Seven burly men pushed it down the ramp, all of them grunting and straining. Once the car was on the soft grass it sank a few inches into the dirt. Before he could say anything to the helicopter crew they took off again, on strict orders not to linger. Bruce was like that, in all his dealings with the titans. They were not secrets to anyone, but he didnt allow his employees to waste any time. The mission was to be taken seriously, completed to the letter, and no one was to say anything at all to the titans. Robin walked up to the car. It was a red '69 mustang. He couldnt believe how long or wide it was, he got in and looked on the dash. There were only two words he could find to describe the layout.
"Lotsa buttons." The cars electric systems started, having been programed to do so when sensors heard his voice. Robin wondered briefly if he had hit a hidden button, and hoped it wasnt 'self destruct' if he had.
"Dont drive without listening to this, I'll know if you do." It was Bruce's voice, coming from somewhere under the dash. Robin looked at it, puzzled. "You dont know how to drive this, this recording will teach you."
"Alright." Robin waited, but the voice didnt come back. He wondered if whatever computer that was in control had frozen.
"This car has a gas pedal, and a standard transmission. You know how to use those." Robin startled a little, he had been reaching for the keys and wondered if the car or Bruce had somehow known. "But thats not all you have to control, this will take practice, so listen."
Robin groaned, he had a feeling this was going to take a while. "How many of these buttons are just for show?" He asked the computer, even though he knew it was pre recorded and couldnt respond.
"Theres a few buttons that don't do anything, this almost ended up as the new bat mobile, but I changed my mind. Buttons like 'oil slick' and 'Big Boom' dont work." Well that was almost creepy, Robin thought. It was too bad though, he would have loved to know what the button labeled 'Big Boom' would have done. "Next to you, right behind the shift is one air plane style throttle. See it? It controls the air pressure to gas ratio, when you start out start it out on 1 to 1, as you pick up speed you can change it up to 0 to 10, the car is going its fastest then, and will be using no fuel. As you pick up speed this light-" A light blinked on the dashboard a few times and caught Robins attention. "- will flash, meaning you can increase the air to gas ratio."
"Cool."
"Next to the throttle is an air tank stability screen, if anything goes wrong with the tanks it will do this-" Robin was sure every light in the car flashed on, and there were enough to cause an epileptic seizure and the radio blared a siren noise. "- will happen to catch your attention. The air tanks have never had a problem, so don't worry. Just change the intake filters often. Now, theres a button on the top of the stick, see it?" There was a slight pause. "When depressed it reverses the gas to air ratio, the 0 to 10 gas VS air will become a 10 to 0 gas VS air. Thats for if the air tanks become unstable for any reason, and it will burn alot of gas."
Robin was bored, and already looking for some way to disable the automated drivers ed. He reached under the dash, and his hand came in contract with so many bundles of wires that he decided to give up. "Ok, I got it." He told the computer. "Im pretty sure I could make this thing work." Talking to computers was a habbit easy to pick up when one lives with a cyborg Robin supposed. He promised himself to take some time off if he began to have feelings for any household appliances.
"Now, Robin. I disconected a few buttons, but theres still alot you might find fun. Find the one labeled 'Jump', and press it." Robin did as he was told, and the car jumped three feet into the air with an enourmous hiss of air pressure. Robin hit his head on the ceiling before collapsing back into his seat. "I sent it with partialy full air tanks, never know when you might need that button." Robin buckled up and swore that Bruce sounded smug in the last part of the recording. "Another button you might like is 'auto 180', and 'auto reverse 180', I know your on an island, so dont go pressing those now unless you like swimming. This cars long and wide, and its easier to let a computer control that move." Robin found the buttons, they had sub-buttons to dictate whether the car banked left of right in the maneuver. He made a note to test those out later, and rub his car in the face of the first spy he came across. "The next button is going to be one of your favorites." Robin rose an eyebrow at this. He hoped the recording was almost over, he wanted to try this thing out. "Find the button labeled 'Light'." Robin thought that sounded lame, what could be cool about the lights? Again he was to be surprised when the computer played more of the recording for him. "That button will turn most stop lights green for you as you approach. Cop cars are fitted with it now, and its nice not having to run red lights."
Robin smiled. That was kind of cool. He could remember many incidents in the bat mobile where Batman just narowly avoided a huge car pileup while running red lights. "This thing has everything."
"Just don't forget, brake easy. It shouldnt take someone with your coordination too long to learn how to master the controls, drive it out to the desert to learn, and have fun."
Robin turned the key, and the engine roared to life. As loud as it was it wasnt a stressed noise. The electrical systems came on around him, and he looked at the spedometer, trying to find out how many miles the engine had on it. Instead he noticed something else- the spedometer went all the way up to six hundred and fifty miles an hour. Robin said a silent prayer, hoping it wasnt too much car to drive.
Robin shifted it into reverse, and was glad it was pointed for the open garage door. He took his foot off the brake, and just tapped the gas. The car jumped backwards before he could stop it, into the garage faster than he had expected it to- much faster. It almost slammed into the back of the garage wall. Robin had managed to stop it just in time, the car had just gone about thirty feet, in reverse, in the blink of an eye. The computer voice came on again.
"Oh yeah, watch out for reverse, its a bit touchy."
"NO SHIT!" Robin yelled at the computer.
Robin got out and closed the door. Under the garage's bright lights he could see the detail put into 'stretching' the car. The extra five feet on the front end was to hold the engine and alot of the components, but it also looked cool. Robin opened the hood and saw why it had been widened. The engine, as hard as it worked made alot of heat, and the cylinders were kept as far away from each other as mechanically possible. The cooling system was complicated beyond belief. It had redundant pumps upon redundant pumps. Robin traced the wires and hoses all over, and realized the cooling system was just as complicated as the engine and energy systems. Robin imagined that the car must have cost even Bruce a weeks salary. Robin turned around as the garage door squeeked open, which was odd considering it was new. The other male members of the team and Blackfire poured into the garage.
"Check it out." Robin told them in a tone meant to grate Cyborg. He knew once the machine man found out just what was sitting in the garage he would crap bolts for a week.
Beast Boy headed for the drivers door and opened it. He was begining to get in when Robin stopped him. "Dude, what?" He looked up at Robin, who was staring at him menacingly.
"Touch even a single button, and you will spend the rest of your life as an invertabrate no matter what form you take." Robins tone was deadly serious, and Beast Boy gulped.
"Yo man, what is all this?" Asked Cyborg, who was scanning components under the hood, marveling at how advanced everything seemed to be.
Robin chuckled. Prepare to shit bolts, he thought. "Thought you'd never ask." Robin looked to the rear of the car. Blackfire was looking underneath it, where the kinetic energy converters were stored in the wheel wells. She seemed quiet, so Robin didnt bug her. He stepped up to Cyborg and put his hand on the taller teens shoulders. "Its a V-14 you know."
"Yeah, I see that. You'r gonna eat more gas than a semi."
"No, it runs on air pressure and gas. Doesnt use any more gas than a mini van, or small sedan." Robin beamed, ready to spring his mountains of techno babble on Cyborg, who's own car was across the garage only half complete.
"Impossible. No way."
"Go look at what I have under the wheel wells."
Cyborg huffed and clomped to the nearest wheel. He got down on the ground and looked under the car. When he got back up again his skin was a shade lighter, which said alot. "Those are kinetic energy converters, but how?" He made a few confused noises. "The most advanced ones we have now require so much force to spin that they use more energy than they provide. What is this?"
"Nice." Said Blackfire, who had been silent. "Didnt think humans have it in them." Everyone looked at her, except for Beast Boy, who was admiring himself in the rear view mirror.
"What do you mean?" Asked Robin and Cyborg at the same time.
"Its a nice pretty little machine and all, I like how it recycles its own energy. Kind of like it feeds itself in that aspect. But..."
"But what?" Again, in unison.
"It stays on the ground, what good is it?" Blackfire laughed at the boys as they tried to think of a comeback. "From what I can see here it seems like it uses a little actual fuel to make alot of energy. You know, throughout the univers theres machines that run on no fuel, and make theyre own energy in similar ways."
"So what if it stays on the ground?" Demanded Cyborg.
"It doesnt." Said Robin, full of confidence. Now it was Blackfires and Cyborgs turn to look at him like he was crazy. "Blackfire." He said. "Get in the passenger seat, I'll show you how it flies." Blackfire made an attempt to argue that the vehicle had no way to fly, but Robin wouldnt listen. He pushed Beast Boy out, and the green boy stood off to the side next to Cyborg. Robin closed the door and winked at them as Blackfire climbed in.
"He's up to somethin." Ventured Cyborg.
"Yeah, but what?" Asked Beast Boy.
Inside the car Robin buckled and tightened his belt. To his right Blackfire snickered at him, showing her disdain for human technology. "Listen, its pretty and all, I guess I sortof like it, but it cant fly. Sorry to tell you." She laughed.
"Just one sec, we're about to take off." Robins hand reached for the jump button. He pushed it, and the car having been moved recently jumped four feet into the air almost instantly. Blackfire banged against the roof, and before she could think to fly was thrown back down into the bottom of the front seats, in a rather undignified heap.
"Bastard!" She said as she pulled herself off the floor. Outside Beast Boy and Cyborg were laughing like heyenas. Robin just stared at her with a smug look on his face.
"Well, it doesnt just stay on the ground. See?"
"Whatever." Blackfire left the car and slammed the door. She left the garage trying to look dignified. As soon as she was gone Cyborg and Beast Boy jumped in the car. The front seat was wide enough for all three of them, and Cyborg was impressed that the car didnt even sag to the right with his weight in it.
"What?" Robin looked at them as they buckled.
"DUDE! You HAVE to drive this!"
Robin turned the key. "Alright. Lets head out to the desert."
Robin was just pulling out of the garage as Beast Boy leaned up towards the dash. "Dude, which button made it jump again? It was this one right?" Beast Boy hit the jump button before anyone could stop him. The car jumped again, and the top hit the garage door, crumpling it. From outside the car one would have heard alot of yelling and cursing, along with an assortment of painful whopping sounds. Beast Boy found himself in the back seat, with several lumps on his head and his two friends glaring evily at him.
"Sit on your hands for the rest of the ride!"
Cyborg rolled down his window as they reached the Jump city limits and looked at Robin. "Guy put a freakin jump button in but didnt install power windows?"
Robin shrugged. He had managed to get out of the city in first gear, now he was turning onto the seldom used southbound highway. It was rarely used, and ran through the desert. Robin switched to second, and pounded the gas. The car jumped to one-ten, and a few seconds later the air-gas light came on and he thinned the mixture out.
"Dude, nice." commented Cyborg. Behind him Beast Boy was trying to see to the controls and read all the small print on the buttons.
"Yeah, how far ahead does that eye of yours see?"
"Far enough if your thinkin what I'm thinkin." Cyborg focused on the road ahead of them. Even in the dim light his cybernetic eye could see for miles. He scanned the road as far away as he could, and his cybernetic eye telescoped out of his skull just slightly. "We're all clear man, no ones usin this highway.
Several minutes later, officer John White and his partner, Jacop Kafka were sitting in theyre partrol car behind a billboard, enjoying a slow night watching for speeders. After the exhaustive cleanup efforts after the android attack they were willing to spend a night on the clock, doing nothing. The windows were down, and they were enjoying conversation about local politics, particularly Johns plans to run for sheriff next time around.
Both men stopped talking, hearing something in the distance. "Boooooooo" Was all they heard, and they turned to each other. What the hell was this? They were supposed to be enjoying a quiet night, enjoying the normal-nothing-ever-happensness of the quiet highway. "oooooooooooo" They heard, and saw lights coming in the distance.
"What the hell? Look how fast thats moving! What the hell is it?"
"Dunno, turn on the lights."
John turned on the lights, and at that moment something red flew by, and they heard: "Yaaaaa!" Both men sat, not knowing what they had just seen. It couldnt have possibly been a car, could it? They both turned to each other, and John turned the headlights back off.
"We don't have to call that in, do we?" Asked John.
"Call what in?" Said Jacop. "What were you sayin about running for sherriff?"
"Yeah, yeah. Musta been seein stuff. Whacky... Desert hallucinations, thats it."
Many miles down the road the titans were having a problem. Beast Boy, at four hundred miles an hour had decided it was a good time to start feeling car sick. Currently Robin and Cyborg sat in the car, trying to drown out the noise of the changeling hurling nearby. "He didnt get any in the back seat did he?" Robin asked. Cyborg looked behind him and shook his head, Robin was relieved. He didnt want to have to rent a steam cleaner. Neither titan was happy still, the ride home with Beast Boy car sick meant having to go slow.
"Dude." They said simultaneously, similar devilish looks appearing on theyre faces.
Beast Boy finished up-chucking and heard the squeel of tires and an intense blast of air pressure being released. He turned around quickly, just in time to see a red blur on the horizon. Robin and Cyborg were a good ways away already, and already accelerating past ninety. Beast Boy stood there alone, feeling somewhat dejected. "Oh, thats so uncool." He said to no one. He was sure that he could hear Robin and Cyborg laughing at him in the distance. Now he had to pick a suitable form to get him back to the tower.
Down the road John and Jacup were just preparing to pull out and head back to the station. They never heard Robins car coming from up over the hill. They pulled out from behind the billboard, still trying to pretend they had not seen anything. They tried to pull out across the road into the far right lane, and as the cruiser began to crawl along the pavement they saw a blinding set of lights coming over the hill. "SHIT!" They both cried in unison.
"SHIT!" Robin and Cyborg cried out. Robin saw the cruiser ahead, and knew he couldnt avoid it. Next to him Cyborg braced for impact, and Robin reached for the 'Jump' button. He slammed his fist down on it, and the car lifted off the ground.
The gigantic red Mustang began to lift as it approached the cruiser. "AHHH" Was all that all four occupents of both cars were saying. The car lifted five feet off the ground and the tires just barely scraped the roof of the cops car. The car was a full two hundred feet down the road before it touched earth again, Robin fought for control of it and eventually stabalized and regained his control.
The two occupants of the police cruiser were still screaming, and in a moment of blind panic John stomped on the gas as they screamed. They went off the other end of the highway, and down into a deep ditch. The cruisers front end went into a small irrigation stream up to the windshield. After they managed to stop screaming they sat breathing heavily for a few minutes.
"Fell asleep at the wheel." John said.
"Yep, yep. Can happen to anyone, surely can."
Well, end chapter. It was fun to write, and I felt like giving Robin a big techno gadget. His cars pretty cool, land speed record stuff. I felt like writting something where everyone had it fairly easy after the last few chapters, so I did. I enjoyed writting this, hope you enjoyed reading it. Not sure when I can get the next chapter out, working is a bitch. Next chap the titans will sit around the couch and watch the presidential debates. (I know Bush won, but I still wanna have fun trashing 'John Kerredy') And Jinx might have fun with a certain evil magicians hat that she stole durring the debates... LEave a review, more of those you send the more inspired I am to write, and thanks for reading.
